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November 08, 2007

We Support the Writers

You probably read that subject line a couple of times, maybe with an expression like Kellie Pickler's when someone uses a multisyllabic word, or Britney Spears's when someone says she might have to get her ass out of bed before noon. But don't be confused, we truly support the writers -- the ones striking in order to get a fair share of the profits from the TV shows and movies that they help create.

We make a lot of fun of daytime soaps' writing around here -- and we still think the mockery is totally deserved -- but as with any profession there are people at the very top (those who scribe The Office, The Daily Show, Dirty Sexy Money, and 30 Rock, to name just a few), and there are those whose receipt of a paycheck for their work we find almost personally offensive (e.g., the General Hospital,All My Children, and Two and a Half Men teams). But variety is the spice of life, and in this case is the only way we're able to have a steady supply of crappy stuff to make fun of as well as fabulous stuff to pick us up out of the crap-induced doldrums. And regardless of what we think of soaps and other TV shows, we're watching them, and studios are making money off them, so the writers deserve an equitable piece of those profits -- now and down the road when you're a freak downloading Days of Our Lives onto your cell phone during your commute, or whatever.

Anyway, not to get all political up in here (is this really even political? we don't look good in red or dark blue), we support the Writers Guild of America's demands that writers share in the profit entertainment companies make from traditional and new media. If you do too, click here to sign a petition, and check out this blog for updates from some striking writers.

Comments

As the sister of someone who works in the behind the scenes end of tv I totally support the writers....even Guza on this one....because without him what would I have to openly mock? Not much. Britney bashing can only take one so far. After awhile that's just sad.

Not to say that I'm not also totally hoping for a long strike to screw up his lame storylines...but that's just the petty bitter part of me.

As someone facing (hopefully temporary) unemployment because of the writer's strike, I am 110% on board with this. The studios are being totally unreasonable, and refusing to pay possible royalties on emerging technologies smacks of greed.

If anyone happens to be in LA or NY, head by one of the picket lines and show some support.

They're not asking for a raise, they're asking for compensation for work they've already done when the studios make further money off of it by posting it on the internet (similar to how if you write a book and the publishing company republishes it, they have to pay you a percentage of the additional profits).

Frankly, most rank and file soap writers are in a tough position, the Head Writers come up with crappy characters and crappy storylines, the executives are always interfering, and they're forced to do the best they can on a daily scene-be-scene basis, it's pretty hard to come up with something good under those circumstances where they have almost no control over the final product. Ask anyone who's ever interned or worked at a soap who they blame for the crappy quality, it's not the grunt writers. Soap writers are among the lowest paid in the industry, and they're not going to see any benefit out of this anyway, if it makes you feel better. Soaps aren't usually available on the networks' websites or on DVD, so soap writers won't get residuals, it's more on an issue for writers of successful primetime shows and movies.

Anyway, even if my boss or your boss fired us for doing a bad job, they still have to pay us for the work we did before we were let go. And any money that's not going to the writers for the work they did is going to the producers and executives instead, and very few people would say they're doing a good job either.